The Citizen, 1987-05-13, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1987.
——Green Thuml>in’=
Etobicoke green house
provides plant delights
A visit to Etobicoke ’ s Centennial
Park Greenhouse is a must for
every garden fan, a little-known
attraction outside of the Toronto
area. Yet they are easy to get to,
being located on the suburb’s
Elmcrest Drive, near the intersec
tion of Highway 427 and Burnham-
thorpe Road, and are open seven
days a week all year round.
Admission is free.
Walk into the main greenhouse
and you enter a warm, moist,
tropical atmosphere. Exotic plants
grown in profusion and lush green
foliage extends up to the glass roof.
Adding to the feeling of being in
the tropics is the sound of a small
artificial waterfall thatfeeds an
ornamental goldfish pond.
The most colorful plants are the
bright red poinsettia that bloom in
the ideal environment provided by
the greenhouse. There is a palm
tree from North Africa, an orange
tree from the Philippines, and a
dwarf banana tree from China with
fruit that is only finger-size but is
edible.
A floss-silk tree from Brazil has
curious spikes on its trunk. A guava
produces sweet, fragrant fruit. A
leopard plant from Japan is
distinguished by its spotted leaves
which resemble the fur of the
animal for which it is named.
One of the most interesting
plants is an African grape which
has long vines hanging down to the
ground. Tropical lilies and several
varieties of begonias create a
splash of color contrasting with the
dark green of the surrounding
plants.
Walk through to the greenhouse
at the left and you enter a more
temperate climate resembling that
of Canada in summer. Changing
displays of flowers are presented
throughout the year.
Visitors’ questions are welcome.
If you want to know why some of
your indoor plants are not doing as
well as you had hoped, or why
particular plants inyourgarden did
not blossom as expected last
summer, it’s the place to find out.
The greenhouse staff are proud of
what they produce and there are no
secrets to their methods. They are
happy to share their expertise with
you.
Walk back through the tropical
greenhouse to the third green
house, on the right of the entrance,
and you enter the pleasantest of the
three climates - hot, but dry. It
simulates the kind of arid regions
where cacti and succulents grow.
Cacti in the greenhouse appear
in an astonishing range of shapes
and sizes. The names for most
varieties are derived from their
appearance. And as elsewhere in
the greenhouses, color-coded la
bels give their Latin names as well
as the names by which they are
more commonly known.
You see Blue Blades, Dagger
Plants, Yellow Spine, anda curious
variety called Moon Stones that
could easily be mistaken for
pebbles. All are from Mexico.
The Birds Nest Snake Plant is
from tropical America and the
pretty Aurora Borealis is a native of
Madagascar.
Dragon Bones cacti are from the
East Indies. Turk’s Cap, which is
remarkably like the headgear for
which is is named, is from the West
Indies.
The Shark’s Jaws cactus is a
rarity - a fearsome-looking plant.
Serrations around the edge of the
leaf look like menacing teeth.
One of the largest cactus plants
in the greenhouse is the Century
Plant. It grows tall but blooms only
once in its lifetime. In summer,
when the top of the plant reaches
the roof, a few panes of glass are
removed so it can continue grow
ing, but in winter it has to be
trimmed. Visitors are requested
not to take pets. Smoking is not
permitted. If you have children
with you, keep them under control.
Those attractive yellow cards seen
hanging from some plants are
sticky fly traps so do not let children
touch them. For information call
416-626-4273.
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Get an early start
to win weed war
Dandelions and crabgrass - to
control these two lawn weeds, you
must take action early, says Weed
Specialist Rudy Brown, head of the
horticulture and biology section at
Ridgetown College of Agricultural
Technology.
Begin your campaign against
dandelions and crab grass in early
spring.
Crabgrass mustbecontrolled
before it germinates; apply a
pre-emergence herbicide such as
Dacthal or Betasan in either liquid
or granular form.
“The granular form is also sold
as a fertilizer-herbicide mixture,”
Brown said.
Follow the application rates
recommended by the manufactur
er.
The herbicide goes to work after
a spring rain; the herbicide is
absorbed through the roots emerg
ing from germinating seed.
And by raising the mowing
height of your lawn mower during
the whole season, you can help the
grass compete against weeds more
effectively, stay greener longer
during periods of droughts and
generally remain much healthier.
Dandelions require early treat-
enttoo; apply 2,4-D before they
bloom and re apply in late summer.
Spray weeds on a bright, sunny
day when temperatures are 15
degrees Celsius or warmer.
“And be sure to protect broad
leaved shrubs and ornamentals
from spray drift by shielding them
with a piece of cardboard, ’ ’ Brown
said.
Fertilizer mixtures of 2, 4-D are
also available, allowing you to
apply both fertilizer and weed
killer at the same time.
Rainfall should not occur for at
least 12 hours after application of 2,
4-D.
Other common lawn weeds such
as creeping charlie, shepherd’s
purse mouse-eared chickweed,
plantain, and so on, are controlled
with mixtures of 2, 4-D and
mecoprop or dicamba.
Again, early treatment is impor
tant.
Follow the rates of application
recommended by the manufactur
er.
Apply to weeds once in early
spring and again in late summer or
early fall.
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